->> I have never understood this. Why would you want to be on the plane any longer than required only to be bumped in to and stared at like a zoo animal as the crowd walks by and maybe, the bonus of getting up to allow others to their seats?

I deliberately board last to avoid the mess. Walk down an empty aisle, get your seat and go.

->> If I can buy a cheap web only fare from SW, then get early boarding, I would be saving money compared to buying a business select seat. I always try to board early to guarantee a good spot for my cameras and computer...

->> As long as they don't start charging a re-ticketing fee. Plus, who needs early boarding as media? They already give you B1 if you are credentialed/ID carrying media. Plus, they have no overweight fees for bags. OK...they do have a limit, which is 100 points. My Pelican and suitcase were 99 and 90 the last trip to Breeders' Cup and the skycap said, "Man, are you lucky. If you went over 100, you would have had to ship it freight." Good thing...

->> The media friendly SW policy differs city to city, airport to airport. On more than few occasions the ticketing agent has never heard of or will not honor a media pre-board. If I can pay $50 and sit in an aisle seat in row 1-3, I'll do it every time.

->> it's Southwest's policy to allow media photographers to board after A Group. If they give you a hard time ask for the blue pass, the paper folded inside states it. I never had a problem aside from a random clerk reluctantly honoring the policy.

->> Jack, Do you have a link to that policy or is that just what they told you at the gate? That would be a change from the way it has always been. I've always been allowed to board after the disabled and before group A.

->> I have had mixed results with media pre-boarding on Southwest. Even with the paper work stated above, showing my bag and its contents to the agent and traveling with several photographers who needing to pre-board as well. I have also have some agents only hand me the white piece of the paper inside the blue sleeve and when I get up to preboard they insist on a blue sleeve. It depends on who is your gate agent.

->> Chris, the answer to your question is this: Early boarding is important because people are not only looking for the best seating, they are looking for open storage bins. In SW's case, they don't charge baggage fees, but other airlines do and being able to get on early and store your baggage is a big deal.

Even in SW's case, if there's no storage left in the bins, you'll end up having to gate check the luggage. If the luggage had camera equipment in it, you would be begging for trouble.

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